Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-01-15

here and there against a sky so inconceivably
remote that the world-sick soul must have
despaired of ever reaching 80 far or Of climb
ing its steel-blue walls. The stars were large,
keen m brilliant, but cold and steadfast.
They did not dance nor twinkle in their ada
mantine setting. Tho furnace fire painted
the faces Of the men an Indian red, glanced |
on brightly colored blanket and seraIe, but
was eventually caught and absorbed In the
waiting shadows Of the black mountain, |
scarcely twenty feet from the furnace door. |
The low, half-sung, half-whispered foreign
speech Of the group, the roaring of the fur !
mace and tho quick, sharp yelp Of tho coyote
on the plain below were the only sounds that
broke the awful silence Of the hills.
It was almost dawn when it was announced
that the ore had fused. And it was high
time, for the pot was slowly sinking into the
fast crunbling oven. Conclo uttered a juhi.
liant 'Gol and Liberty" but Don jose Wiies
babe him I've silent and bring stakes to sup.
port the pot. Then Don J,se bent over the
seething mass. 1t was for a moment only.
But in that moment this accomplished met
tallurgist, Mr.. Joseph Wiles, had quietly
dropped q silver half dollar into tue pot!
Then lie charged them to keep up the fires
and went to slccp-all but one eye.
Dawn came with dull beacon fires on the
near hill tops. and, far in the east, roses over
the Sierran snow. Birds twittering in the
alder fringes a mile below, and the creaking
Of wagon wheels-the wagon itself a mere
cloud Of dust in the distant, road-wcrc heard
distinctly. Then the melting pot was SOL
en,nly broken by Don Jose, and tho glowing
incandescent nlaas turned into the road to
cool. hF
And then the metallurgist clipped q small
fragment from the mass and pounded it, and
chirpd another smaller piece and pounded
that, and then subjected it to acid, and then
treated it to q SAT- bath which became at
once n%lilky-and at last produced a white
so,nething-mirabile d%ictu!-twoc euts' worth
Of silverl
Concho shouted with joy; the rest gazed at
each other doubtingly and distrustfully; com-
panio,s in poverty, they began to diverge
and suspect each other in prosperity. Wiles'
left eye glanced ironically from the Que to
the other.
"IIere is the 300, Don Jose, !" said Pedro,
handing the gold to Wiles with a decidedly
brusque intimation that the services and
presence of a stranger were no longer re-
quired.
Wiles took the money with a gracious
smile aud a wink that sent Pedro's heart into
his boots, and was turning away when q cry
from Manuel stopped him:
aThe pot-the pot-it has leakedi lookl be-
bold! see!"
He lad been cleaning away the crimbled
fragments of tho furnace to get ready for
breakfast, and had disclosed a shining pool Of
quicksilver!
Wiles started, cast a rapid glance around
tire group, saw in a flash that the metal was
unknown to them, AMI then said, quietly:
sit is not silver"
"Pardon, scnor, it is, and still molten"
Wiles stopped and ran his fingers through
the shining metal.
"Mother of God-what Is It, then!-magicT'
mo, only base metal" But here, Concho.
emboldened by Wiles' experiment, attempted
to seize a handful Of the glistening m,,es that
instantly broke through bis fingers in q thou.
o0IAA OAuy cPuVA usCoS O1sO SvCAA oCuV q AC"
globules up bis shirt sleeves, until he danced
around In mingled fear and childish pleasure.
And it is not worth the takingy" queried
Pedro Of Wiles.
Wiles' right eye and bland face were
turned toward the speaker, but his malevo-
lent left was glancing at the dull, red brown
rock on the hillside.
"No!" and turning abruptly away he pro-
ceeded to saddle his mule.
Manuel. Miguel and Pedro. left to them
selves, began talking earnestly together,
while Concho, now mindful of his crippled
mule, made his way back to the trail where
he had left her. But she was no longer there.
Constant to her master through beatings and
bullyings, she could not stand incivility and
inattention. There are certain qualities of
the sex that belong to oil animated nature.
Inconsolable, footsorc and remorseful, Con-
cho returned to the amp and furnace, three
miles across the rocky ridge. But what was
bis establishment on arriving to find the place
deserted Of man, mule and camp e~quipage.
Concho called aloud. Only the echoing rocks
grimly answered him. Was it a tricl1 Con.
} cho tried to laugh. Ah-yes-a good one-a
! joke-no-no-thcy hnd deserted him! And
+ then poor Concho bowed his head to the
ground. and falling on bis face, cried as If bis
: honest heart would break.
The tempest passed in a moment; it was not
! Concho's nature to suffer long nor to brood
: over an injury, As be raised his head again
: his eye caught the simmer Of the quick
silver-that pool Of merry antic metal that
: had SO delighted him an hour before. In a
t few moments Concho was again disporting
with it; chasing it here and there. rolling 1t
: in his palms aud laughing with boylike glee
: at its elusive freaks and fanciea sAh,
sprishtly one-s!ipjack-thcre thou gocst-
come here. This way-now I have thee, lit
tie one-come, muchacha-come and kiss
: me" until be had quite forgotten the defec'
ton Of his companions. And even when he
Q shouldcred his sorry pack, he was fain tc
carry his playmate away with him in his
empty leathern flask.
And yet I fancy the sun looked kindly or
. him as he strobe cheerily down the blacl
I mountain side, and his step was none the les
4 free nor light that he carried with hin
u neither the brilliant prospects nor the crime
:. of his late comrades.
/. CHAPTER III.
Q wuo CLAIMED IT.
o - HE fog had alread,
\ closed III i on NJ Monte mt;
i. = .oyv:~- .l:k~